Iga Swiatek vs Sloane Stephens Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Dubai Tennis Championships

Prediction published on 20/02/2024, 00:39  by Nella Wagah in Tennis Predictions

Top seed Iga Swiatek begins her Dubai Tennis Championship campaign with a second-round showdown against Sloane Stephens. Swiatek is off defending her title in Doha for the third successive time. She won every single match at the event without dropping a set and defeated world number four Elena Rybakina in the final. The Pole has started the season once again in blistering form and is one of the favourites to emerge victorious here. She has won 11 of the 12 matches she has played with all 12 fixtures being played on hard courts. The world number one has also won both times she has squared off with Stephens.

Sloane Stephens is having an inconsistent start to the year and has so far compiled a 4-4 record. She defeated the qualifier Clara Burel in three sets in the first round to earn her fourth win of the season. Advancing to this round for the first time has moved the former world number three up to 40th in the live ranking. Stephens is playing in Dubai for the first time in 10 years. In both her previous appearances, she never went past the first round. The 30-year-old has registered all her wins on hard courts but only once has she won back-to-back matches. The winner here will play either Tatjana Maria or Elina Svitolina for a place in the quarterfinals.